I think it's tricky to keep any delicate aquatic life in an area that has Fluoride in the water, along with all of its toxic friends. I'm sure that's why my fish suffer quite obviously if I use Sydney tap water, no mattter how well conditioned, because nothing takes the Fluoride(++) out of it. It's arrogant medical insanity to force-medicate/poison the entire population, plus all of our forna and flora, with these non-nutritive toxins. DANG I got myself started <_</>. ANYWAY...I use a blend of filtered+conditioned water and rain water with minerals added, and that works very well.
Bottom line, I am experienced and not too concerned about the basics of setting up a tank, but am interested in any variables relevant to shrimp that I could have overlooked.
Thanks :)/>

It will be about 85 litres. I have not decided on filtration yet as that is something I will be choosing and setting up from scratch. Any recommendations?
Whether I get adults or youngsters will depend heavily on what's available and the price of both options. I am open to either.
:)

Hi
As I mentioned in another post, I am hoping to set up a new CRS tank. When I first kept them about 5 years ago they were still quite new on the scene in Aus and we were all still learning how to keep them healthy and happy. What has everyone learned since then?...because I have been out of touch. What tips, tricks, do's and dont's have you figured out when it comes to taking good care of CRS and breeding them successfully?
Thank you :)

Hi
I am thinking of getting back into CRS as I miss them after dabbling a few years back. What do you think is the optimum number of CRS to start a breeding population with? That is, the 'sweet spot' which minimises the cost of getting started though still forms a decent foundation for a breeding population.
Thanks :)

This thread reminds me of a related one from a while back that mentioned European versus Australian/Asian Guppies : http://ausaqua.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=11729&st=0&p=126906&#entry126906
I have seen some Guppies with tails at least as large as those (actually larger, more halfmoon, and with longer dorsal fins) but only on regular sized Guppies. Oh, and only in Europe, never in Australia. :(

My question was "where to get it in Australia"..."or nearby". So clearly I want to buy it from Australia but if I cannot am willing to buy it elsewhere. It's 'urgent' because if I cannot get it in Australia then it will take time to get from elsewhere so I need to order it quickly.
As it happens I have found an Australian supplier - no vet, no prescription, just advertised by a local distributor - but the price is a rip off, at 4 x elsewhere.

In trouble? Why? It's not illegal to purchase common veterinary medications from overseas in normal 'personal use' amounts, is it? There are brand name fish med products with this ingredient. Plus if it's available from vets and doctors here then it's definitely not on a 'banned for import' list, right?

Hi
Ages ago I read a discussion about whether Betta breeding / bubble nest building is affected by the phase of the moon, in the same way that the breeding cycles of many creatures are affected by the moon. e.g. Bettas breed more readily at the new moon, or some such thing.
But I can't recall the conclusion! Does anyone here know whether this is true, and if so, which moon phase is optimal for attempting a pairing?
Thanks
Finley

Hi
I find that this forum never remembers me, even though I tick the 'Remember me' checkbox each time I log in. It won't ever log me in automatically, no matter which way I enter, whereas I find that most other forums do.
Is there anything I can do at my end to make this work?
Many thanks,
Finley ;)

Oh it's the real stuff! Collected from the ocean shore, up the coast a bit, north of Sydney.
I was previously using artificial salts from the LFS to add hardness to rainwater. From now on I'm sticking to the real thing, even in mid-Winter. There are always surfer kids around who I can ask to get wet on my behalf - to fill up my bottles! ;)

Hi
I've just had an interesting thing happen that I thought I'd share. I have one particular Betta whose tail got eaten away by 50% and never grew back. He never got really overtly sick and never had red edges - just this eaten away, miserable look. He's been in 'rain water + aquarium salt + tea extract', which my other Bettas are fine in, just not him. Then I tried something...
Next water change I used 'rainwater + 8% seawater + tea extract'. He's turned around. His colour is awesome and his tail is recovering!
Of course it could be something else that I haven't thought of, or because Spring has sprung and he's in an outdoor tank so he's generally happier ... but maybe it's the full spectrum of natural minerals in seawater, rather than artificial aquarium salts, that's done the trick. So it may be worth trying a 'rainwater + seawater' mix if you are having trouble with fin rot.
Finley

Yes, I found one literally attached to a Guppy and being dragged around the tank - it had already swallowed its tail but couldn't get the rest of the poor creature in its mouth! Once I'd got them separated the Guppy died from shock. Such was my first (in)experience with Gardneri. The litte *bleeps*!
Yes, I still have them :eek:

They are also RESILIENT. I got a pair about 12 months ago, and they were such aggressive little buggers - chewing on anything with so much as a hint of fin showing - that I had to separate them into a small tank on their own. I never got around to moving or selling them, so they over-wintered outdoors in coastal Sydney in a small unheated tank. I wouldn't recommend that as normal practice, but just to let you know that they are tough cookies!

Hi guys
What's the latest news on aquarium heaters, if any?!...because I need a new one, about 100W. Ideally I want a model which will maintain temperature in the narrowest possible band, e.g. 0.5C or less. Cheap too, of course!
What are my best bets?
Thanks